Wage garnishment limit in Maryland

How much of your paycheck a creditor can garnish for ordinary consumer debt in Maryland, and what's protected. General information, not legal advice — confirm the cited statute.

Maryland note: Maryland garnishment limits differ by county (Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne's and Worcester counties use the federal rule). (Verify against the current statute — this figure is less certain.) Source: Md. Code, Com. Law § 15-601.1.

Got a garnishment notice or debt letter that looks wrong? Check it

Paste the garnishment notice, judgment, or collection letter (or upload a photo) for a read on whether it's legitimate and what your options are.

How to reduce or stop garnishment in Maryland

• Make the creditor prove the debt and the judgment — challenge it if the amount or service is wrong.
• File a claim of exemption with the court fast: head-of-household, low-income and dependent exemptions usually aren't automatic.
• Maryland protects: varies by county — several use the higher state minimum wage for the floor.
• Negotiate a payment plan or settlement before the garnishment takes the full 25% in most counties; some counties protect the amount above 30× the state (not federal) minimum wage.

True for everyone facing garnishment

• Federal law already protects a weekly floor — and many states protect more — for consumer debt, a creditor can take at most the lesser of 25% of your disposable pay or the amount above 30× the federal minimum wage ($217.50/week). Many states cap it lower or shield far more.
• Four states ban consumer-debt wage garnishment entirely — Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and South Carolina do not allow your wages to be garnished for ordinary debts like credit cards or medical bills.
• Child support, taxes and student loans are different — and harsher — the consumer-debt caps here don't apply to child support (up to 50–60%), back taxes, or defaulted federal student loans (15%) — those follow their own, higher limits.
• A creditor needs a court judgment first (for consumer debt) — for credit-card or medical debt, a creditor must sue and win a judgment before garnishing — so responding to the lawsuit is your first and best chance to stop it.
• 'Disposable earnings' means after legally-required deductions only — it's your pay after taxes and mandatory withholdings — not after rent, car payments or other bills, so the garnishable base is larger than people expect.
• You can claim exemptions — but usually only if you file them — head-of-household, low-income and dependent exemptions often aren't automatic; you must file a claim of exemption with the court, fast, or you lose them.
• Money in a bank account isn't as protected as wages — once garnished wages or other funds hit your account they can be levied separately — even in states that ban wage garnishment — so exemptions there matter too.

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